Those who had been curious about what goes on inside the massive greenhouse of Ontario PlantsPropogation just West of Talbotville had opportunity to find out during a recent Open House. The family owned and operated business celebrated its 10th anniversary by inviting the public inside to tour and learn about what they do.

Ontario Plant’s President Jack Vanderkooy was moved by growing demand in the 1990s for greenhouse vegetable transplants, to start a vegetable propogation operation in 1999. In 2002 Ontario Plants Propogation was created near Shedden. With frequent expansions, the facility has reached 18 acres, plus will see completion of a 3-acre addition this summer.

At the Open House, visitors were warmly welcomed by staff, and given chance to tour the greenhouse. On one of the tours, son Tim Vanderkooy explained the various facets of the high-tech facility.

Water fills sections of the floor for watering from below.

Plants are heated from above via hot water pipes which can be raised or lowered.

Overhead curtains are adjusted to control temperature.

If there is a problem during the night, an alarm alerts personnel at home and, in most cases, the required adjustment can be accomplished remotely, by phone.

The plant’s main business is growing plants to the size needed for greenhouse vegetable growers of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers.

Seedlings are started in trays and go through a selecting machine and then are transplanted into blocks to grow. The varieties for greenhouses are not self topping as field-grown plants are – they continue to grow upward.

Growth time varies for the plant and the size specified by the greenhouse – 18-28 days for cucumbers; 30-50 days for tomatoes; 32-55 days for peppers.

Various measures are in place to prevent insect and disease infestation, from the automated shoe wash at the entry to “sachets” which breed good bugs and handily take care of plant thrips.

During the peak greenhouse growing season (November, December, January) the facility is filled to capacity with plants for greenhouse vegetable growers. During the off-season, the business leases space to flower growers and takes care of the plants till they reach the desired size. Though highly automated in many regards, some aspects of the operation require handling of the plants which is quite labour-intensive. The complement of thirty-five full-time employees is reinforced with seasonal workers to bring staffing up to as many as 200 people at peak times. The Ontario Plants Propogation vision is “to be Eastern North America’s premier supplier of greenhouse vegetable transplants” and they aim to accomplish that “with a superior management team that is dedicated to performance, improved technology, and innovation.” Their success will be recognized on June 20th, 2012 at the St. Thomas & District Chamber of Commerce 36th Free Enterprise Awards Dinner, where they will be presented with one of three Free Enterprise Awards of Merit.